“He’s adjusting, man,” Reed told reporters. “When he came here, he left me some notes on the board. He’ll draw me some Bills stuff when I come home. It’s the best. But in his heart, I know.”
Ed Reed waged several playoff battles with the New England Patriots during his time with the Baltimore Ravens, and as a newly appointed member of the Buffalo Bills coaching staff, he’ll now be squaring off against Bill Belichick, Tom Brady and Co. at least twice each season.
So, it might surprise you to learn that Reed’s 8-year-old son, Edward, actually is a Patriots fan.
Why? Simple: He loves winners.
“His mom is from Boston, though she’s not a Patriots fan,” Reed, the Bills’ assistant defensive backs coach, told reporters Thursday, via ESPN.com. “His grandmother lives up there, and the kid likes champions, man. What can I say? I grew up in New Orleans, I loved my home(town) team, but I was a San Francisco (49ers) fan. I was a Joe (Montana) fan. So that’s just how it is.
“When you’re a kid and you’re watching sports growing up, who’s winning those championships? You tend to gravitate toward winners. Which is a good thing. It helps you from a work ethic standpoint, who you’re watching. Who wants to follow losers? Just saying.”
Reed’s new team has come out on the losing end against New England more often than not during the Belichick-Brady era. The Patriots are 28-4 against the Bills since 2000 and have lost to them just once since 2011: a Week 17 defeat in 2014 that came after the Pats already had locked up home-field advantage.
The former All-Pro safety argued the Bills are “still a winning organization,” though, and he’s doing his best to convert his young son.
“He’s adjusting, man,” Reed told reporters. “When he came here, he left me some notes on the board. He’ll draw me some Bills stuff when I come home. It’s the best. But in his heart, I know.”